Nashville Hot Cauliflower Tacos
Nashville Hot Chicken has become a staple on many a menu across the US, but this spicy, earthy seasoning blend makes a terrific vegan taco. We roasted the cauliflower until all the sweetness was coaxed to the top. Then we topped it with a seasoned, vinegar-based slaw for a little bit of tart crunch and a rich, cooling cashew crema to balance it all out.
If you have time, soak raw cashews in a bowl of water overnight to make the crema. If you don’t, then boil them in some water for 10-15 minutes to get them soft and ready to blend. While it seems like there are a lot of components to this recipe, it’s mostly just mixing ingredients together and can be done while the cauliflower roasts. We had a fairly small cauliflower that easily made 8 tacos, though we stuffed our shells generously and had more than a few taste-testers stealing cauliflower pieces right off the tray.
For the cauliflower:
1 medium head of cauliflower
1 to 1 ½ Tablespoons Nashville Hot Chicken Seasoning
½ teaspoon Granulated Honey
1 Tablespoon olive oil
For the coleslaw:
1 bag coleslaw mix – look for one that’s got a colorful blend of vegetables
Zest and juice of one lime
3 Tablespoons cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon Granulated Molasses
1 ½ Tablespoon Pollo Asado Seasoning
½ teaspoon Coarse Sea Salt
¼ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
For the cashew cream:
1 cup raw cashews, soaked or boiled
Juice of ½ lime
¾ teaspoon Granulated Onion
½ teaspoon Granulated Garlic
¼ teaspoon Ground Cumin
½ teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
¼ cup olive oil
1 cup hot water, plus more if necessary to reach desired texture
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut cauliflower into small florets—the round part should be roughly the size of a dime, or even smaller.
2. Toss cauliflower with olive oil, Nashville Hot Chicken Seasoning, and Granulated Honey. Lay on a baking sheet and put in your hot oven.
3. Roast cauliflower for 15 minutes, then stir so it evenly browns. Roast for another 15 minutes, or until it is browned all over.
4. While cauliflower cooks, make coleslaw. Place coleslaw mix in a non-reactive bowl. Add the rest of the coleslaw ingredients. Stir well, check seasonings, adjust if necessary, and set aside.
5. Make cashew cream. Drain soaked cashews and put in a small blender, like one for smoothies, or food processor. Add remaining ingredients and blend until you no longer hear the cashews breaking apart. Taste for texture and flavor. Leave it as is if you want a thicker, sour-cream style texture, or thin it out with some water if you want to drizzle the cream. Add more seasonings if necessary. Set aside.
6. Assemble tacos. Set up shells for filling, and layer with cauliflower, followed by coleslaw, followed by cashew cream.
